Oblivion
by ecampbell3
Summary: Cal Morrison is the mark that changed everything for Sarah. Not only in his unique demeanor, but also in giving Sarah her daughter. An exploration into Sarah and Cal's first month spent together in his cabin.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in relation to Orphan Black.

* * *

Oblivion

_Please tell me that's not Kira's father._

_No, no, absolutely not._

She walked aimlessly down the streets of Toronto, trying to figure out what the hell she was going to do now. Only back from Orange County for a few hours and things had already gone right back to the same old shit again.

It was all bloody Felix's fault. He claimed she just _had_ to visit Mrs S' house to have dinner with the two of them, it had been too long since they had a family meal together he said. She bit her tongue on remarking that S wasn't her family knowing that it would only serve to piss her foster brother off.

Unfortunately, the teenager had somehow managed to guilt her into showing up for dinner and she regretted it from the second she walked through the door. Siobhan seemed to take a lot of pride in criticizing her lifestyle and choices for as long as she could remember and this night's dinner was no different. In fact, it was probably even worse since she had been making a conscious effort to avoid contact with the Irish woman as of late.

The undercutting questions and comments started as soon as they were face to face again. _What kind of con you running now? When are you gonna smarten up and get a real job? You know you can't spend the rest of your life couch surfing, Sarah. I brought you and Felix to this country for a fresh start, not so you could get into trouble all over again._

She was used to it by now though. Mrs S had been spewing the same shite to her ever since she was kid, which was why she got the hell out of her house the second she turned eighteen. It sucked leaving Fee behind and not seeing him as often, but one more day under that roof would've driven her insane.

So, the second she had finished eating she made up some bullshit about having to be somewhere and got the hell out of there. Now here she was walking down the city streets trying to figure out where she could spend the night. In all likelihood it would be a bench in Huxley station, because anyone she knew in the city either hated her or wouldn't have room for her. It wouldn't be the first time she had to crash in the train station and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Spotting a quaint looking diner she figured she'd stop in for a bit to kill some time before taking up her residence for the night. The place was empty save for an elderly couple in the corner and a man seated at the counter eating breakfast for dinner. She took a seat a few down from him and ordered a coffee when the waitress approached her.

"A little late in the day for a coffee, isn't it?" she heard the man's voice speak and she turned her gaze to him.

He wore a plaid shirt with a black t-shirt underneath and some worn out jeans. His teasing grin made her roll her eyes and focus back on the mug that was placed in front of her. "A lil late in the day for bacon n' eggs ain't it?"

"Maybe I'm just starting my day," he countered with a raised brow that she paid no attention to. The sound of the plate sliding closer to her had Sarah straightening up a bit and turning her gaze again to see that the bearded man was now seated right next to her. He stuck a hand out so it was practically hitting her face and smiled sweetly. "Hi, I'm Cal Morrison."

She stared at the hand for a moment in confusion, it had been so long since she interacted with someone with enough manners or class to introduce themselves with a handshake. The only response she could muster was to ignore the gesture and spit her name out gruffly. "Sarah."

"What you don't have a last name?"

"Not to you," she replied and took a long swig of her drink.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Sarah," he continued with his charming voice and went silent for a moment, Sarah realized only to shove a forkful of food into his mouth. "So what's your story?"

"Don't got one."

"Come on, you've got to! Anyone who's alone in a dingy diner like this on a Sunday evening has to have a story. So what's yours?"

"None of your business, yeah?" Sarah shook her head in aggravation and wanted so badly to get up and leave the diner but something about the man next to her was too intriguing for that action. "Wha' are you doin' here then? If we've both supposedly got stories."

"Me? I'm celebrating."

"Yeah?" Sarah couldn't help but further question at the look of pure delight on Cal's face.

"Yep. I've finally perfected my micro-optics so my business partners and I can launch our minidrone pollinators to increase bee populations where they've fallen."

Sarah couldn't help the snort that escaped her and looked at him incredulously. "Oh my God, you're a nerd!"

Cal shrugged easily and smiled at her for the umpteenth time in their short encounter. "If being a nerd means a bunch of people want to invest in my technology for their own benefit then I'm alright with that."

Sarah subtly perked up at the mention of investing. So her new friend's nerdy little invention had people giving him money for its use. All Sarah Manning saw was money, marks, and con schemes and she now she knew she wasn't wasting her time chatting with Cal Morrison in the shitty diner. He doesn't seem to notice her change in demeanor, she's too good at playing the con artist.

When he finishes his meal and she finishes her coffee, Cal flags down the waitress again and orders them both a mug of hot chocolate. He claims it's the best way to wash down eggs or caffeine. She rolls her eyes but accepts the drink.

"Truthfully, I'm just not ready for us to part ways yet," he confesses after taking a sip of the warm liquid.

Sarah is taken back by the raw honestly in his voice, so used to angry men, violence, and hostility that she can't remember the last time a guy spoke so tenderly to her. Cal Morrison is different but she's too stupid to realize it just yet.

He asks her if she's got anywhere to be tonight and she shakes her head, thinking of her prior plans to spend the night at the train station. He grins at her head shake and offers his arm to her when he stands from the stool. He drops a twenty on the counter and she takes his arm without a second thought. She allows him to guide her to his truck and climbs in without bothering to ask where they're headed. She's done this sort of shit enough times to know what comes next. She blows him before they even leave the parking lot for good measure – it doesn't hurt to seal the deal a little before the main event.


	2. Chapter 2

_Are you my dad?_  
_Blow me down._

The sunlight streaming in harshly had Sarah regretfully opening her eyes. She immediately registered the heavy arm draped across her naked torso and the events of the previous night came flooding back.

Meeting Cal in that diner, having hot chocolate with him, the parking lot, the drive out of the city, arriving at his cabin, and the amazing sex that ensued the second they walked through the door. He was unlike any lover she had ever had. All the other assholes only ever cared about themselves and their own pleasure. Not Cal though. He made sure she enjoyed herself just as much as he did and it was nice – just nice to be thought of and taken care of for the first time in a long time.

She chuckled when a deep groan was released from next to her and Cal moved his free arm to shield his eyes from the brightness. The sound of her laughing had him removing it again quickly though and turning on his side to lock eyes with her, a grin already spread across his face. "Morning."

"Morning," she echoed and easily returned the kiss he planted on her lips.

"You hungry?" he asked softly when they pulled away and moved out of the bed before she could even respond. "How does bacon and eggs sound?"

"Is that the only thing you eat?" Sarah asked in amusement while watching him pull a pair of boxers on.

"No, but it's one my favourite meals so get used to it."

Get used to it? That definitely implied he expected her to be spending a lot more time with him. She wasn't really expecting for the con to work out this way, she was more of a love 'em and leave with a bunch of their shit kind of girl. Oddly, the thought of spending some more time in Cal's secluded cabin really didn't unsettle her the way it would with other guys.

He must have realized his insinuation or picked up the confused look on her face and frowned slightly. "Unless you have somewhere you have to be."

Sarah shrugged indifferently. "I haven't had somewhere to be in a long time."

"Well now you do," he smiled down at her and left the room without another word.

Sarah sat dumbfounded for a moment, wondering what just happened between them and trying to sort out how she felt about it. Never one to stay still for long though she lasted only half a minute on the introspection shite before she was throwing on her tank top and panties. She followed Cal's path to the kitchen and took a seat at the table.

The only sound in the room was the sizzling of the bacon in the frying pan. The silence that enveloped the duo was comfortable, like they had known each other a hell of a lot longer than twelve hours.

"So wha's the deal with livin' in the woods?"

"No deal. Just not a big fan of the city. I wanna live life at my own pace, you know?"

Sarah shrugged softly because she didn't really know. All she'd been doing her entire life was running full speed from one place to the next. Running from the law, Mrs S, one of her marks, a former foster family, she couldn't and wouldn't slow down for anybody at this point. The closest anyone could ever come to making her stop is Felix with his temporary guilt trips and even then she would never stick around for long.

Sarah realized her and Cal are complete opposites in so many ways that she didn't understand how he managed to get her to stay even as long as she had. She was a hurricane and he a still breeze. She came through town and left destruction in her wake when he could barely disrupt a blade of grass with his tender gentle demeanor.

"I take it you don't live by the same philosophy?" he asked when she was didn't respond to his explanation.

"Not exactly," she returned half guiltily.

"It's something you learn to love," he winked at her while placing a plate down in front of her. He took the seat next to her and began to shovel the food into his mouth right away.

Just like the previous night, conversation flowed easily between them and Sarah felt herself relaxing more and more in Cal's presence. The kissed and laughed in such a simple manner that she began to believe that maybe such a lifestyle could someday be something she'd be capable of.

"Get up," his deep voice shook her from her thoughts. He was standing next to her and holding a hand out for her to take.

"Wha? Where're we goin?" she asked quizzically.

"Back to bed."

* * *

The days passed and the duo developed a routine of sorts. Every night they'd go to bed wrapped in each other's arms and every morning he'd ask if she had somewhere she needed to be that day. The answer was always no and he'd make them breakfast – bacon and eggs more often than not. They'd eat together and spend most of the day lounging about the cabin.

When she woke up one morning with her period, Cal left for the store without another word. He returned with packages of pads and tampons, chocolate, ice cream, a heating pad, and chicken noodle soup. He smiled sweetly at her and shrugged. "I didn't know what you needed."

She smiled at his look of helplessness and grabbed the bag from his hand. She kissed his cheek in appreciation and retreated to the bathroom for a moment. When she returned he was still standing by the table with an anxious look in his face.

"Are you okay?"

"You know I'm twenty years old, yeah? This ain't for first time dealing with this shite."

"I know," he rolled his eyes at her statement. "I just wanna make sure you're comfortable still."

"I'm alright," she reassured him gently and took a seat next to his standing frame. "But I am kinda hungry. You left so fast that we didn't get to have breakfast as usual."

"Yeah? What do you want me to make you?"

"That chicken noodle soup sounds good. But I can make it myself ya know," she spoke pointedly to him.

He smirked down at her in disbelief. "You know how to cook? Why for some reason don't I believe that?"

Okay so she didn't actually know a bloody thing about cooking, but now she was determined to do it herself. That cocky look on his face knowing she'd lied to him was enough to make her want to prove him wrong.

"How hard could it be?" she shrugged. "It's just noodles and water, yeah?"

"It's not quite that simple," Cal pointed out but Sarah was already determined to show him up. She was carefully opening the box and had dumped the raw noodles into a pot. She brought it over to the sink and started filling it with water and Cal cleared his throat in objection. "You're supposed to let the water boil before adding the noodles, not to mention you should be measuring the amount of water you use."

Sarah waved her hand over her shoulder in disregard and continued to fill the pot up with much more water than necessary. She placed it on the stove on high temperature and took up her former seat at the table again looking like she had just solved the world's greatest mystery. Cal returned her look with one of apprehension but didn't bother to intervene any further, Sarah was far too stubborn to listen to any of his advice.

Figuring they were going to have some time to kill before Sarah's personal version of chicken noodle soup was ready, Cal grabbed a pack of cards and began distributing them between the duo.

"Wha's the game?"

"Go fish."

"Really?" she laughed softly. "Are we eight?"

He smiled at her and shrugged. "It's a classic, alright?"

She relinquished to playing the overly simple card game with him and actually found herself beginning to have fun when the sound of sizzling startled them both. The stove caught their attention and they saw water rapidly boiling over the side of the pot.

"Bloody hell!"

Cal laughed in amusement at the sight. "You've got to move the pot off the burner for a minute."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

He took pity on her helplessness and quickly sprang into action, moving the pot and watching the water simmer down. He figured they had cooked the noodles for nearly quadruple what the box suggested so he grabbed a couple bowls from the cupboard and filled them with the soup. He placed one in front of Sarah and another down at his seat, fully prepared to eat whatever sort of concoction she'd created along with her.

They took their first spoonful together and let the taste swirl around their mouths for a moment before swallowing. "Not bad. A little watery, noodles are a little overcooked but overall not as horrible as I thought it would be," Cal commented and Sarah smiled triumphantly at his admittance.

"See! Told ya I could do it."

"I won't dare to doubt you ever again. Who would have thought that you could be so domestic?"

She appreciated his comments, it felt good to be praised for something new like this. Truthfully, she never really ate anything that wasn't fast food or microwavable because she always avoided Mrs S trying to teach her how to cook when she was younger. By result, she had absolutely no clue how to navigate her way around a kitchen. Her first try wasn't a complete disaster. She told him with pride that she was full of surprises. It didn't mean she would start cooking for them anytime soon though, she'd gladly leave the kitchen work to Cal.

"Now can we finish this game? There's no way you're gonna beat me this time."

* * *

Sometimes Cal would go into the city for business and she'd happily stay behind. It was her chance to focus on the con at hand, get to know Cal Morrison on a financial level. She would block the thought of Cal from her mind and tell herself in a mantra that it was any other mark, any other con that she needed to complete to continue surviving.

He'd return none the wiser that she'd managed to gain access to his banking information and knew the balance in his account, his credit card limits and the hiding spot for the envelope filled with ten thousand dollars cash. When he came _home_ one day she blurted it out before she even realized what she was saying. Maybe it was out of guilt from snooping through all his shite or maybe some part of her really wanted Cal to know more about her. "Manning."

He gave her a puzzled look and quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"My last name. You asked me in the diner tha' night. It's Manning."

He grinned at her response and stalked across the room to her, so she was pinned between him and the kitchen counter. "Nice to meet you, Sarah _Manning_," he said softly and kissed her tenderly in greeting.

"I have a surprise for you," he smiles when he pulls away and drags her out of the cabin. Leaning against the wood are two fishing poles and a tackle box.

"You can't be serious," Sarah shakes her head adamantly, never going to happen. She's done a lot of shite in her lifetime but touching gross worms and fish was absolutely never going to happen. "I'll play that bloody card game with you, but the real thing is not gonna happen."

"Come on, I promise you'll have fun," he tried to persuade.

"No."

"Yes."

"Give it up, Cal. It ain't happenin," she grounded out adamantly.

At some point in their little argument Cal had gotten closer to her and decided if his words wouldn't persuade her then he'd have to use his body and that's when Sarah lost the battle. The half grin and tender touches were enough to get her to submit to whatever he wanted.

She found herself standing on the bank of the river failing miserably at all things fishing. She refused to touch the worm, claiming she'd puke all over Cal if she had to so he relented and did it for her. He tried to teach her how to cast the rod but she stubbornly pushed him and, thinking it wouldn't be too hard. The mechanics involved however were much more difficult than she anticipated and after five minutes of nothing going anywhere near the water, she sent him a hateful glare and beckoned him over.

"It's really not that hard, Sarah," he chuckled at her but patiently stood behind her and positioned her hands correctly on the rod. "All you do when you wanna cast is flip this metal thing, hold the little bit of slack line against the pole, bring it to your side and flick your wrist while letting go of the line."

"Wha?" she furrowed her brow up at him, he completely lost her at 'metal thing'.

He laughed again but kissed her cheek when he noticed the clear frustration in her eyes. "Here, let me show you."

She handed him the rod and watched as he went through the motions he explained. He did it about three times slower than he normally would and repeated the action several times until she seemed to be grasping it. He gives the rod back to her and watches her successfully cast the line after several moments. "Now what?"

"You wait until you get a bite."

"How do ya know if somethin's bitin?"

"You'll feel it, trust me," he smiled and returned to his own fishing rod, this time stay just a few feet away from her. He kept a close eye and realized after only a few minutes she was getting bored. "You know, sometimes it's good to re-cast every so often."

Sarah looked at him and shrugged indifferently, at this point she was only still standing around because she didn't feel like sitting in the cabin by herself. She began to reel her line and watched him do the same, albeit much quicker. "Let me put a new worm on it for you."

"Yeah, sure," she said and handed the rod to him. She turned back to the water and took a moment to absorb her surroundings. Cal's property was really beautiful and peaceful. She found a certain comfort in the serenity of the water lapping against the shore. So lost in her thoughts, Sarah didn't notice Cal speed walking towards her until he had picked her up bridal style and ran full speed into the cool water. Once they were deep enough he raised her another couple inches in the air and threw her into the water.

She screamed in shock at the action when she resurfaced and smacked at his shoulders in annoyance. "Wha' are you doin' ya lunatic?"

"Just having a little fun," he managed to spit out through hysterical laughter. "What, you don't think this is fun?"

"I didn't exactly plan on getting wet today," Sarah complained grumpily but felt a small smile trying to spread across her lips. She was slightly amused by his childlike behaviour.

"No? Because I'm pretty sure you already were this morning," he replied and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively for effect.

She smacked him again and rolled her eyes, although she remembered that morning vividly and knew he had a point. "Yeah, well you won't be gettin' lucky anytime soon tha's for sure."

"I disagree," he smiled in return and she cocked her brow challengingly. He leaned in closer to her and dipped down to her ear. "I'm lucky every minute that I get to spend with you, Sarah Manning."

* * *

"Tell me more about you."

"What?" Sarah replied groggily with a furrowed brow. They had been lying silently in bed together for God knows how long until Cal's voice broke the peace.

"I want to know more about you. You've been here with me for a nearly a month and all I really know is that your name is Sarah Manning and you're into punk rock."

Sarah laughed softly and shrugged. He had a point, she knew it and for once in her guarded life she felt safe enough to give someone details about her past. "I'm a foster kid. My foster mum adopted me when I was eight and brought me and my foster brother Felix here when I was fourteen."

"Yeah? Are you guys close?" he asked with genuine interest and slowly began running his fingers through her dark locks.

"I am with Felix, yeah. Mrs. S and I have never gotten along real well though. She doesn't like how I live my life."

"And how is that?"

"Recklessly, I guess. Always on the run and gettin' in trouble with the cops, ya know?"

"You in trouble with the law? I don't believe that for a second," he said sarcastically and chuckled lightly. "You seem pretty tame to me now."

"I guess you bring it out of me." It was true, too. Meeting Cal Morrison had caused something to shift in her. Restless, running Sarah had departed and she was slowly settling into stillness and peace. It terrified her completely but at the same time she felt a sense of calmness wash over her at the thought of getting to stand still.

She closed her eyes and rolled over to bury herself in Cal's chest, ready for sleep. She tried to picture what her life could be like if she let this supposed new version of herself stick around. Suppress the urge to run away from every halfway decent thing in her life and maybe she'd get to experience true happiness for once. The month she's spent with Cal has become what she defines happiness as.

He had been right when he told her she'd grow to love the slower pace of life he'd chosen for himself. She found herself never wanting to leave this place. For the first time in a long time – maybe in her entire life – she liked the person she was.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

And the whispered words from the man next to her had everything crashing down around her. It was clear to her that Cal thought she was asleep when he made that confession so she stayed as still as possible until he dozed off as well. The words were like a bucket of ice water being poured on her. She couldn't do this.

She wasn't the type of girl that did love and long term relationships. She did cons and short lived flings until she could finish the con. She wasn't built for living in a cabin with Cal Morrison and living happily ever after because happily ever after didn't exist for people like her. She didn't deserve the guy or the good ending.

Her mind racing, she waited another hour to make sure he was completely asleep. As silently as she could after that she climbed from his bed and dressed herself in pants and a hoodie. She grabbed the envelope of cash that hadn't moved since the day she found it and the keys to Cal's truck. She passed his wallet on the way to the door and contemplated taking all the cards in it as well but couldn't find it in her. This guy didn't deserve what she was doing to him in the first place, she couldn't leave him completely high and dry.

She shut the door quietly behind her and hopped in the truck. Sitting facing the cabin she took one final look at it all and let her eyes linger on the window where she knew Cal was sleeping in his bed just below. The tears welled in her eyes as she turned the key in the ignition and headed off the property to the main road.

Only once she had turned out of his driveway did she let the tears fall down her cheeks. There was no turning back now. She was never going to see Cal Morrison again because when he woke up in the morning and discovered what she'd done, he would hate her forever. He was another mark she'd taken advantage of and would have to live with. She didn't know why this one of all others was hurting her so much until she realized that she had let her reckless, running, emotionally stunted-self begin to fall in love with Cal Morrison too. So she was doing what she did best and ran as fast as she could from the best thing she'd ever had in her life. The fear and self-loathing were much too strong to have her react any differently.


End file.
